A stork held in a police station in Egypt on suspicion of spying. It 'refused to utter a single word under interrogation and was finally released because it had a perfect alibi.' Photograph: AP

Have you been missing something in the Middle East? As the newspapers are full of Syria at the moment, we are hearing little else from the world's most turbulent region. For once, that's probably how it should be. The Syrian tragedy is urgent and important, and the debates in Britain and the US over what to do about chemical weapons, no matter how they end, will shape foreign policy for years to come. But that doesn't mean there's nothing else happening. Here are five stories you may not have noticed:

Part of this is the long-running problem of militias. After the fall of Gaddafi it was hoped they would settle down if given proper jobs, and thousands were recruited into the petroleum facility guards where they have continued causing trouble.

Apart from the attempts to extort money, this is seen as part of a wider tussle for power between the still-fragile central government, tribal elements and those calling for federalism (who some suspect are really aiming for separatism).

Silly as this story was, there's a serious point. It's one example of the paranoia and conspiracy theories swirling around in Egypt at present. Among these are claims that President Obama is not only a secret Muslim (as the American Tea Party asserts) but also a secret member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Since the military takeover, crazy tales have been appearing almost everywhere in the Egyptian media. When al-Ahram, the leading pro-government daily, implicated the US ambassador in one of these conspiracies she sent a stiff letter to the editor which included the immortal line: "This article isn't bad journalism; it isn't journalism at all."

Considering the level of violence there, Iraq is probably now the most under-reported country in the region. Only a handful of journalists from the international media remain based in Baghdad and the security situation restricts their ability to travel around the country.

4. Tiny Bahrain, where an uprising broke out in 2011, is another under-reported country – partly because the authorities are very choosy about which reporters to allow in. Protests continue against the Sunni Muslim Khalifa family who rule over the kingdom's Shia majority, but mass demonstrations called by the opposition last month failed to materialise, mainly as a result of oppressive measures by the authorities.

Bahrain's problem, as in Syria, is that other countries have their fingers in the pie. The initial uprising in 2011 was suppressed with military support from Gulf Arab monarchies (most notably Saudi Arabia); the US has its Fifth Fleet based there and views Bahrain as a bulwark against Iran; Britain has old historical ties and loves to do business there. Britain also has an ambassador who seems extraordinarily supportive of the regime.

5. Finally, in case you had forgotten, there's the perennial saga of Israel and Palestine. Talks began last month – the first of any substance in five years – and US secretary of state John Kerry is supposed to have the whole thing sorted out by May next year. Assuming, of course, that he's not too busy dealing with Syria and chemical weapons.